sabut masoor dal recipe with step by step photos –north indian stylespiced, tasty and quick dal made from whole masoor dal or pink lentils.thiswhole masoor dal recipe isone of the easy and breezy dals i make at home with sabut masoor which are brown-skinned lentils.

this sabut masoor dal recipe is how we prepare at home.the dal is not thin nor thick but has a medium consistency. adding cream is optional but it does enhances the taste of the masoor dal.

this is a north indian punjabi style masoor dal recipe. you can add the spices as per your taste requirements. the consistency of the dal can also be kept thick or medium consistency.

the masoor dal can be relished with rice, rotis or paratha or even bread. you can also just have it plain like a soup.

a few chopped coriander leavesor some crushed kasuri methi or cream for garnishing

salt as required

1cuphot wateror as required

how to make recipe

pressure cooking masoor dal:

pick and rinse 1 cup whole masoor dal for a couple of times in water. if you have time then you can soak the lentils for about 30 to 40 minutes after washing.

in a pressure cooker take 1 cup sabut masoor dal and add 2.5 to 3 cups water. pressure cook for 10 to 12 minutes or 3 to 4 whistles or cook till they are softened. timing will vary depending upon the quality and age of dal.

garnish masoor dal with kasuri methi or cream or a few chopped coriander leaves.

sabut masoor ki dal is ready to be served with some basmati rice or rotis.

recipe notes

if making sabut masoor ki dal in a pan or pot:

soak the masoor dal for 1 to 2 hours in water.

then use 4 to 4.5 cups more water to cook the dal. then follow the recipe.

amount of extra water needed depends upon quality of the dal. e.g. if the dal is aged then it will take more time to cook and will also need more water.

cooking dal/lentils in a pressure cooker is easier and quicker.

how to make sabut masoor ki dal recipe:

1. pick and rinse 1 cup whole masoor dal for a couple of times in water. if you have time then you can soak the lentils for about 30 to 40 minutes after washing.

2. then in a pressure cooker take 1 cup sabut masoor dal and add 2.5 to 3 cups water. pressure cook for 10 to 12 minutes or 3 to 4 whistles or cook till they are softened. timing will vary depending upon the quality and age of dal.

4. in a pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil for tempering the dal.

5. add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera) and let them splutter.

6. then add 1 medium sized chopped onion.

7. saute till the onions are golden or brown. this is an important step in making this dal. you have to brown the onions as the browning gives a lot of flavor and taste to this masoor dal.

Today finally I did it with so rich and taste fully, to satisfy the senses thank you so much for such nice blogs and describing so softly.perfectly cooked with aromatic ambience . wandering for such taste started from Himachal ends today at home . thank you so much.

Dassana I love you. Thank you for all your efforts. I’m learning to cook well because of you. Please do post on how to make kala masoor dal paratha and healthy red rice idling too with more lentils less rice. Looking forward muah your brilliant and very patient and very sincere. Thankyou again

Thank you for sharing with us this lovely recipe. Made it for dinner tonight, saved the rest for packing lunches throughout the week. Topped with a dollop of yoghurt, I could not stop eating it. The various spices lend such a strong punch and depth of flavour to the dish. Have a wonderful day!

Roughly upto how many whistles should I pressure cook masoor? And, I really appreciate your recipes. You are like a savior? I’m giving 5 stars because I’m so sure this will turn out amazing just like every single recipe that I’ve tried of your’s.

Whenever i go through your wwbsite,the pictures detailed steps help a lot and are indicative that you must be a very patient person in real life too .I admire your zest towarda cooking .this dal cams out to be really tasty .my husband loves all dal recepies more than veggies .so it was good when he said please make it more often thanks to you

I was a little confused by some of the steps as I have never cooked dal before… Firstly, you didn’t say IF any water needed to be added with the dal in the first place (before you said to add more if its too think) so I ended up guessing a little. Also because I’m not too familiar with cooking dal or even eating it, I wasn’t sure what the consistency should be like or the texture of the lentils. With all this said however, it ended up fantastic and tasted amazing! I’m sure the recipe is fabulous, just maybe a bit hard to follow for an amatuer!

fine olivia. the consistency is medium. but as per one’s preference, one can make a thick or thin consistency. water is added while pressure cooking the lentils. for pressure cooking 2.5 to 3 cups of water is added. if cooking in a pot, more water needs to be added. like 4 to 4.5 cups. i will make a change in the notes section of the recipe. nice to know that the end result was good 🙂

Hey Dassana, I’m a big time fan of ur blog. I have tried so many recipes published in ur blog n got compliments for the same. I like ur step by step guidance with pictures. This dal is again one of the favourite dishes with my family. I have learnt many north indian dishes from this blog.

I have made the recipe exactly as per your instructions it came out very well thanks a lot. I want to ask one question can I do tempering first and add all the masalas and then add dal and pressure cook will it come out same or the taste will differ.

Thank you so much for sharing all your wonderful recipes! For the first time I feel like the Indian food I make at home is as good as much of what I get in a restaurant…and so easy! This recipe has become yet another easy but delicious weeknight meal for me when I have “nothing in the fridge”!

I am sort of an ‘okay’ cook but oh this simple recipe makes dal so yummy! My hubby is so impressed with the taste, he insists on making every alternate day! It’s so simple and quick, I love how yummy it is and my hubby is a happy hubby! Thank you!

The lentils I have (basic ones from Walmart) say on the package that soaking is not necessary. I boiled them for about 25 minutes and they tasted delicious to me; of course this is my first time eating this dish, so I don’t know if I’m missing out….

Hi Dassana, I live abroad and recently made this dal while I had some foreigners home for dinner. They loved it and want me to teach them to make it. I just wanted to ask you if I can make it without the pressure cooker because I know nobody here will buy a pressure cooker ?

thats nice to know tanvi. you can make without pressure cooker. just soak the lentils for about an hour or even two hours. then proceed with the recipe. you will need to alter the water proportion as more will be required that what is needed while cooking in a pressure cooker.

appy, you can use chole masala. but don’t use sambar powder or other curry powder. with the chole masala also the taste will change. but the chole masala is a good alternative amongst the options you gave.

Last night I was looking for whole masoor dal recipe and I found yours. I made it and it was a hit with my family. The kids and my husband loved it. I followed your instructions carefully especially about the part of frying the onions well without burning them. It always makes such a difference when one works with attention to all the finer points. Only the colour of the dal I made was slightly different but that was because I added a lot more of Amul fresh cream to it. It was very very tasty and I will definitely be adding this to my repertoire of easy everyday cooking.

Thank you Dassana. Keep it up. Your blog is wonderful and was quite a life saver for me when I just wanted to grab a quick cooking dal out of the fridge and make a meal of it for my family.

thanks a lot heena. glad to know your family enjoyed the meal. paying attention to the details makes a lot of difference whilst cooking. in fact something as small as mustard seeds if not crackled while tempering, dampens the flavor somewhere.

Thank you so much for this recipe.My four year old son and my husband liked it so much that they are asking me to make it so often and they are not complaining for the same repeat recipe.thanks a lot.Easy to make and very healthy.

I am a big fan of all your recipes. You make it loo so easy. And evetthing that I have tried turns out so yummy. And 100 points to you for presentation! Thanks so much for taking time out for all this. I am sure its helping millions of people like me 🙂

you have made my husband and I very happy, so glad I found dassana’s recipe in your file. so very nice, I’ve impressed my husband I think. my onions were cooked with care and love….so pretty. thank you muchly! I will make this again, he said i must!

My favorite. This is the first recipe I tried in kitchen after marriage. My husband called me back from office and said u should send more chappatis with this dal. In my office everyone loved it. You rock

Hello, Love your pics! you are a talented photographer. Every other week I make this dal and you showed me a different way of cooking it. What I do I put everything expect onions in the pressure cooker and cooked it until it is tender. Then I fry onions until they are brown and put it on the dal (it always comes out delicious). Next time I will be trying your recipe to see if it taste different or even more yummier. Thank you Dassana.

Thanks for such yummy recipes. The good thing with your recipes is I do not have to rush to the grocery store each time, the ingredients are pretty much off-the-shelf.

Can you please post a malai-kofta recipe. I have some guests coming for dinner on Monday (02/07/12) and I wanted to make malai kofta. The one I tried last time was a bit of a disaster 🙂 so to speak! Thanks.

this is perfect comfort food. i love the simple and crisp shots. i usually cook some hours before hubbs gets home, and some days go overboard with trying to find a setting, which i can never tell if its working:)

Hey a typical punju dish, your pics remind me that I havent made this dal from long…dal fixed for tomm dinner.. :), we prepare it exactly the same way as you said not thin nor thick but medium consistency.